1. Technical Field
This device relates to air supply and conditioning devices specifically air curtains that generate a controlled stream of air to separate two distinct environments in a variety of operational venues.
2. Description of Prior Art
Prior art devices of this type have been developed to provide air barriers between contrasting temperature conditions such as between conditioned air space and unconditioned air space.
Typically, air curtains are used as an effective fluid barrier which will not restrict object transfer while maintaining the desired environmental conditions within the access space. Such prior art air curtains are positioned either above or on the side of a threshold to be controlled utilizing multiple fans and directional airflow nozzles, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,373 as representative of same.
Current air curtain design and controls allow for selective heating or cooling of the barrier air stream utilizing a collection of independent control parameters such as air speed, cooling or heating activation and selective on/off controls. Such independent control activation configurations can be seen generally, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,595,429 and 6,619,052.
Other electronic control devices for heating and air conditioning controllers are well established within the art such as temperature controls; see for example electronically controlled programmable thermostats; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,298,949 and 4,606,401.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,373 is directed to a basic air curtain device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,052 claims a variable air curtain velocity control for supermarket refrigeration product display cases b controlling fans to alternate the airflow rate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,595,429 if directed towards an operation and method for providing real time condition air curtain utilizing electronic control heating and fan using air characteristic inputs from temperature pressure and flow rate sensors within the control system.
Finally, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,298,946 and 4,606,401 utilize electronic programmable thermostats with means for selective ambient temperature compared with a pre-programmed set point and activation appropriate heating and/or air cooling equipment controlled by the thermostat. Such thermostats are well known and understood within the art.
No known prior art provides for integral digital programmable controller for an air curtain which combines a wide range of control functions in an integrated application to configure air curtain performance to the individual use variant requirements.